STAMFORD, Conn. Westhill sophomore Sean Burston has been one of the top age-group divers in Fairfield County since he began working with coach James Bowser when he was 7.
Last week, the Stamford teenager added a significant achievement to his list of accomplishments when he became the first Westhill diver since 1985 to win the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference league championship.
When my coach told me that, I was really surprised, Burston said. It felt kind of cool because I was representing my high school, and nobody from Westhill had won it in such a long time.
Burston finished with 440.9 points to edge New Canaans Bobby Ross, who took second with 438.65. Dariens Jackson McGoldrick was third with 367.2.
Burston built a big lead earlier in the meet, before Ross tightened the competition midway through the meet.
I missed a few of my dives, and thats when things got tight, said Burston, who also competes for the Whirlwind Diving team based at the New Canaan YMCA. They were decent, but the couldve been better. Its definitely because I was nervous. Bobby is one of my good friends and its one of the first times where I've been diving with a little bit of a lead.
Burston led a strong performance by the divers on the Westhill/Stamford co-op team. Robbie Katz took sixth place and Ben Coyman took ninth. The strong diving performance helped elevate Westhill/Stamford to fourth place in the team scoring.
Burston and Wiltons Katie Warburg were awarded the leagues Jon Hanfeldt MVP awards as the conferences top divers. Hanfeldt, a long-time diving coach in the county, died in April 2010. One of his former stars was Bowser.
Sean is the equivalent of John's diving grandson, Bowser said. If a diver wants to win the Hanfeldt award in this competitive county, their dreams must be large. Having Sean win the award named after him is terrific accomplishment for Sean and a continuation of Hanfeldts legacy. He had a strong bond with so many people.
Burston will now turn his attention to the Class LL and State Open meets. The league championship, however, was his priority for this season.
Coach Bowser and I talked about throughout the season, Burston said. He said Sean, you have a chance to win it. So Im pretty happy that I was able to achieve it.
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